Thematic Ideas in the Najdorf

If you want to learn a new opening, memorizing lines and theory generally isn’t the best way to study. In a tournament game, the likelihood of your opponent matching those lines exactly after the 10th move is uncommon. What is important however, is to understand the thematic ideas. The best example of such an opening is the Sicilian Najdorf. After 5… a6, Black must be prepared for 6. Be3, 6. Bg5, 6. Bg4, 6. f3, and many other sub-lines. There are a lot of lines, and it easy to get lost in memorization.

In the Najdorf, however, understanding of the opening becomes far simpler if you analyze the position as a whole. For example, black’s backwards d6-pawn generally wants to be pushed to d5 and open the position for counter play. In order to demonstrate these thematic ideas, I have supplied two games I played at the 2013 Continental Class Championships back in October. In the first game, I failed to utilize these ideas and played passively, whereas in the second game, by playing the thematic ideas, I was able to reach a dynamic position.

Levkov – Steincamp (Round 3)

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6

6. f3 This idea is a minor line, white can try to set up a Maroczy Bind, or transpose into the 6. Be3 main line.*

Nc6 7. Be3 Nxd4 8. Bxd4 e5 9. Be3 Be6 10. g4 h6

11. Qd2 White has transposed into the Be3 Main Line. In this position, I (black) need to find ways to push d6-d5, or I will have a passive bishop on f8/e7. White’s play is on the kingside, so I should find counter play with a minority attack on the queenside.

Be7 12. O-O-O

12… Qa5This is a common idea in many Sicilian lines, the only problem is that I don’t have the threat of b5-b4 like in most Najdorf lines.

13. Kb1 b5

14. Nd5!This move isn’t rocket science and should be easy to find, but still shows that my opponent has a strong grasp of his own thematic ideas. Trading the queens is good for white, as it will be difficult to find any play with d6-d5 or b5-b4 pushes.

Qxd2 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6

16. Rxd2 The computer assesses this position as equal, but its a lot easier to play with white. Note how the backwards pawn on f3 is hard to reach, where as my d6 pawn is on a half open file. My f6 bishop is out of place, and its not quite clear how to find active play for Black.

O-O-O 17. a4

17… Bc4? My first big mistake of the game, my bishop on e6 was one of my best pieces, and a trade ruins my pawn structure. Here, 17… d5 (thematic idea) would have been much better, and if 18. axb5 dxe4 opens the position for my bishop pair.

18. Bxc4 bxc4 19. Rhd1 Kc7

20. Rd5White has a firm hold on the initiative, my pieces are inactive, and a lack of solidarity among my pawns is a concerning issue.

While neither myself or my opponent are highly rated players (both of us were below 1900 when this game was played), it is easy to see that my inability to find counter play cost me the game, and that at no point, white’s advantage was in doubt.

* In his book, The Sicilian Defense, Lubomir Ftacnik suggests an h7-h5 push in the Be3 main line to slow the thematic g2–g4 push. While I have no tournament experience with this line, I think its a line worth of consideration for players who do not like playing against the kingside pawn storm.

This next game, I was able to find success in a very similar opening line.

8. Bg5!? This idea isn’t very common, as a future h7-h6 will by me a tempo. For this game, I had not prepared for this move, but I still used the Najdorf’s thematic ideas to reach a better position.

8…Nbd7 This time I give a different look. I had already gone over my round 3 loss, and knew my failure to push d5 was a big piece of why I lost. Ideally, my bishop will go on b7, after b7-b5, and my knight on d7 will maneuver to b6 to put pressure on the d5 square.

9. Qd2 h6 10. Be3 Qc7 11. f3 b5 12. a3 Bb7 13. g4

13…Rd8 adding more pressure to the d5 square.

14. g5? Up to this point, I think both my opponent and I have followed the thematic ideas. This pawn push though is very premature, White will no longer be able to attack the kingside with force, and I will get to carry out my thematic ideas without rush. 14. h4 would be more in line with his plan, but I can play an immediate 14… d5! as 15. exd5 runs into 15…Nb8 (not Nb6 because of 16. Bxb5+), and I will have total control over the d-file. 14. 0–0–0 is the best move for white.

hxg5 15. Bxg5 Nb6 16. O-O-O

16…d5! The key thematic move. Unlike the last game, I have expanded on the queenside, and have a much better hold on the center.

17. exd5 Nbxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Qe3

19…Rh5 Not a thematic idea, but is an interesting move. …Rh5 develops my rook and threatens …Rxg5 followed by …Bxb3 after the queen recaptures on g5.

20. Kb1 Rc8

21. Rd2?White has run out ideas and is trying to find full control of the d-file with a future Rhd1 idea. Unfortunately this runs into 21…Bxb3!Getting a material advantage

22. cxb3 Bc5 23. Rc2 Bxe3 24. Rxc7 Rxc7 25. Bxe3

25…Rh3!After winning material, I quickly pin down the h–pawn and threaten e5–e4. White’s pair of bishop are not easy to play against, but this move really puts the squeeze on white to find something good.

26. Bb6 Rc6 27. Ba5 Nh5 28. Bd3 Rd6 29. Bc2

29…Rh6Here I am in no rush to take on f3. It turns out that 29… Rxf3 was the best move, but I’m playing to limit white’s counter play. In this position, I assessed that the f3 pawn was actually a nuisance for white since it limited the scope of his light squared bishop.

30. Re1 f6 31. Bd2 g5

32. Be4 Now that white has run out of ideas, I can start grabbing pawns and going for an attack.

Rxh2 33. Bb4 Ng3 34. Bc6+ Kf7 35. Bd5+ Kg6 36. Ka2 Rh1 37. Re3

37…Rd1 Seals the deal, the threat of Rhh1 and checkmate on a1 cannot be stopped due to the unfortunate placement of the b4 bishop.

38. Bc6 Rhh1 0-1

Here in this game, it is much easier to see how black can find play in the Najdorf. By sticking to the traditional thematic ideas, black can easily find forms of counter play. You’ll notice how in these game, while both sides wound up deviating from theory, the thematic moves were essential to improving the position.

In a nutshell, here are some pretty basic thematic ideas in the Najdorf.

Try to eliminate your backwards pawn on d6. This is a target for white, so by pushing it to d5, you eliminate it while opening the position. I’ve also noticed that on online games, my opponents sometimes trade on d5, and recapture with exd5. This is perfectly fine too, as the d-file becomes closed.

Follow the queenside minority attack. After 5…a6, you usually want to follow up with b7-b5. If you get a rook on the half open c-file, a b5-b4 push could remove the knight from c3, giving you some chances for active play.

Don’t trade queens unless you have calculated out the long term consequences. In the first game, playing …Qxd2 was costly for me, as I couldn’t find any counter play for the rest of the game. In contrast, the queen trade in the second game won me material. In short, don’t trade queens if it results in passive play for black.

Feel like I missed something? Feel free to comment and leave suggestions!